Philosophy 38 – Suggested Paper Topics
1. Compare two or more theories of distributive justice, those that you think are most fair. This may include one theory that wasn’t discussed in class. Summarize the theories, examine their strengths and weaknesses, state which one you think is most fair, and defend your view.
2. Does the distribution of the benefits and the distribution of the burdens of society need to loosely or tightly bound together, or can they operate independently from one another? Compare the principle of distributive justice implicit in the U.S. political system with that of another political system – one that is more generous (such as Western Europe) if you think the U.S. is not generous enough to the needy, or a system with a less generous social safety net if you think the U.S. is too generous. Do you prefer one over another or does your view fall somewhere in between? Justify your view of distributive justice. Make sure to include an accurate and sufficiently detailed description of the basic political systems you are describing.
3. Are social contract theories of distributive justice incompatible with international models of distributive justice? Are there other theories that are more sympathetic to these models? Which theory do you think has the fairest stance on these international issues, and why?
Due
7-10 pages, double-spaced, stapled, full citations.
For general guidelines on writing a philosophy paper, see http://www.dartmouth.edu/~compose/student/humanities/philosophy.html